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The article focuses on the growing competition in the U.S. hydrocarbon engines market as the U.S. Air Force and Congress agree to stop launching U.S. national security spacecraft with Russia's RD-180 rocket engine. Topics covered include a version of the SpaceX Merlin 1D, which powers the Falcon 9, the development by United Launch Alliance (ULA) of three engines fueled with liquid hydrogen and the decision of Orbital ATK to use the BE-3 reusable engine to power its New Shepard space vehicle.

The article focuses on the competition by U.S. launch-services rivals for the government launch market as lawmakers and general agree to stop launching U.S. national security spacecraft with Russia's RD-180 rocket engine. Topics covered include the plan of ULA to build a family of launchers dubbed Vulcan, the proposal by Aerojet Rocketdyne to power the Vulcan with rocket-grade kerosene as fuel, and the suggestion by Orbital ATKof hybrid launcher with a solid-fuel.

The article offers newsbriefs related to aircraft industries. Europe's share of low-fare air traffic has increased reaching 16.3% of all flights according to air traffic control management agency, Eurocontrol. Saab AB and Denel Ltd. have formed a combined aerostructures company to compete for design, manufacturing and assembly work in civil and defense markets. Thales SA and Rheinmetall AG reportedly are looking for a collaboration in the land systems market.

This article reports that after several years of deliberations among European Union (EU) member states on how to foster increased cooperation on military matters, the European Defense Agency (EDA) formally opened for business at the beginning of this year. Backed by 24 EU states-- Denmark opted out--the EDA has a broad agenda to become involved in shaping capabilities development, armaments efforts, research and technology spending, and matters related to the defense market. The article presents EDA Chief Executive Nick Witney's views on his organization's agenda.

The U.S. war plans for the Korean peninsula are being rewritten to better reflect new and more capable equipment the U.S. and its South Korean ally are fielding. Memories still linger here of the 1950 No Gun Ri incident in which the U.S. forces killed South Korean civilians fearing the group had been infiltrated by North Korean forces. In the next 3 to 4 years, the U.S. and South Korea expect to introduce more than 150 equipment improvements, valued at 11 billion dollars, including South Korea's fielding of its F-15K strike fighters. The U.S. wants to pass responsibility for artillery counter fire to the South Korean military, too, but Seoul has resisted the move.

Predicts that in a period when affordability will take precedence over innovation and performance in systems designed for both civilian and military markets, that electronics will likely fare better than other technologies. Comments by Malcolm A. Burgess, FAA official, on making sensor, head-up display, high-speed processing and integration technology more affordable; Maturing of enhanced vision technology; Companies working on advanced avionics.

The article discusses the growth of Israeli defense contractors' operations in India. Topics covered include Israel's openness to India's technology transfer goals, enhanced cooperation between the two nations regarding counterterrorism, and bilateral programs involving acquisitions by both militaries. Also mentioned are Israeli companies supplying defense and military systems to India including Rafael and Elbit Systems.

The article reports on the performance of the military rotorcraft market. The U.S. market is being boosted by a robust procurement by the U.S. armed force as the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq placed a heavy burden on rotary-wing fleets. An emerging requirement for a Future Transport Helicopter exists in France and Germany. Eurocopter is marketing both military and civil versions of its current models.

The author reflects on the possible impact of the British exit or Brexit from the European Union (EU) to the aerospace industry. Topics covered include details relating to the reported drop in the world markets after the Brexit referendum held on June 23, 2016, the author's outlook to the commercial aerospace markets, and the reported stability in the defense markets outside Great Britain. It also discusses the reported drop in global defense spending since 2011.

The article presents news briefs from the U.S. defense industries as of February 2016. The U.S. government has approved the proposed sale of eight Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 52s aircraft to Pakistan. Aerospace company Northrop Grumman's MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designed for the U.S. Navy has finished Operational Assessment. The Spanish defense ministry has chosen four General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reapers under a U.S. Foreign Military Sales agreement.

The article reports on the state of the market for military aircraft as of 2009. Saudi Arabia and Oman are reorganizing their combat aircraft inventories as France and Russia are trying to persuade nations to buy their aircraft. Qatar took delivery of C-17, which is considered one of the biggest deals for 2009. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is closely involved in top-level lobbying for Rafale aircraft.

This article states that Israel's military prowess has long rested on dominating the radio-frequency spectrum, and now researchers are pressing to expand that level of information acumen into new domains. Laser technology and measurement and signature intelligence (Masint) are the latest areas where Israeli's defense industry can give the military an edge. Advances in the underlying technology, coupled with military imperatives, are driving these developments.

This article explains that the factors influencing Israel's military and intelligence-gathering include preparing for the next war, analyzing the last war, better managing defense spending, and envisioning what the nation's military should look like in a decade. At the top of Israel's military concerns are a rearming Hezbollah force in southern Lebanon, Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip and Iran's nuclear program. From those diverse threads, Israel wants to weave five-year budgets that provide stable funding for a self-renewing, high-tech defense.

This article focuses on the viewpoint of John Wall, aerospace and defense honcho with British union Amicus, who argues passionately for the sector's future. At first glance Wall, the national secretary of labor organization Amicus, appears an archetypal trade unionist, a pugnacious Scot, committed to workers he represents. Amicus, however, counts more than half of Great Britain's aerospace and defense employees, some 70,000, among its members, in both blue and white collar positions. There are senior politicians, political advisers and senior members of the armed services committee who recognize the importance of the U.S. armed forces being supplied not simply with the best the U.S. can produce, but with the best the world can produce.

Germany may be close to securing at least one purchase of Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles, the U.S. and German government and industry sources said. Aeronautical companies EADS and Northrop Grumman Corp., are collaborating on marketing the latter's Global Hawk in Europe. Company officials at the Berlin, Germany air show said they have been asked to submit information about developing a European version by midyear. They expect a request for proposals by year-end for the EuroHawk, which is earmarked for a high-altitude, long-endurance, wide-area-surveillance requirement. In October 2003, the companies performed six proof-of-concept demonstration flights of the electronic intelligence capability in Nordholz, Germany, before representatives from the German armed forces. The flights included operation in controlled airspace — a major consideration in the crowded European environment.

In this article the author opines that defense contractors in the U.S. should not dismiss the U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's outreach to Silicon Valley, California. Topics include commercial technologies and products stated to have military applications in defense segments, defense competitors recasting integrating their defense sectors with commercial businesses such as China and defense applications of commercial investment in technologies and market segments.

An interview with Fabrice Bregier, chief executive officer (CEO) and president of the airline firm Airbus is presented. Topics discussed include the benefits of establishing a mobile line in China, the impact of crisis in emerging markets in China, Russia, Brazil on the company's production planning and betting for gaining better access to defense market in the U.S.

Surveys moves the defense contracting community is making based on their judgments concerning peace in the Asia-Pacific region. India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. will shift from 95 percent military production to 50 percent within a decade; Israel Aircraft Industries plans for intense competition in the region's military markets; Money in Pacific Rim market; Possible US liberalization of arms sales rules; Market in converting cargo and passenger-type aircraft to tankers.

Reports that LoPresti Piper Aircraft Co. is upgrading its Piper Commanche and Globe Swift aircraft for the general aviation and military markets. Plans call for the possible production of two designs, the Piper PA-24 Commanche and the Swiftfire. A third aircraft, the Swiftfury, could also enter production. Prototype designs and upgrades; Swiftfire test flight.

The article focuses on the effect budget cuts to U.S. military spending will have on U.S. aerospace and defense (A&D) contractors. It states a report by professional services firm Deliotte Touche Tohmatsu warns that exports by A&D companies will not be able to offset deep cuts in the U.S. defense budget due to the size of America's military spending. A&D Analyst Byron Callan commented on competition faced by American A&D firms from European and Chinese A&E firms.

The article presents information on Italy's frustration over United States' policy in military markets and the effects this has on Italian military aircraft manufacturers. Details about the U.S.'s inactivation of planes manufactured by aircraft company Finmeccanica's Alenia Aermacchi group are provided. Information regarding Italian anger over the U.S.'s military market policies is also mentioned.

The article discusses China's accelerated military development. Topics include an underestimation by U.S. intelligence and military officials of the delivery and initial operational capability of Chinese technology weapons systems, such as China's J-20 stealth fighter prototype, the inability of the Chinese to build an aircraft engine for high-performance aircraft, and China's dominance in non-kinetic areas, such as electronic warfare.

The article announces that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has indicated that negotiations to acquire France's advanced Rafale combat aircraft can restart, following a meeting in Paris, France between deputy commander of the UAE armed forces and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and French defense ministry officials.

The author discusses the factors which could drive the future of the structure of the U.S. defense industry. He states that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama will be able to claim that the Defense Department budget has increased each year since it came into power. He notes that the defense industries base is expected to earn more revenue from the operations and maintenance (O&M) than the research and development (R&D) and procurement accounts combined.

The article reports on the anticipation of a bigger share of the U.S. space systems by the Danish defense company Terma as a result of a recent change in Danish defense offsett regulations. According to senior executives present at a meeting in March 2008, Denmark has a special relationship on missile defense with the U.S. because it allows U.S. radar stations on the Danish territory of Greenland. Terma North America Inc. has been cleared to bid on any U.S. program.

The article reports on the corporate reorganization plans of South African aerospace and defense manufacturer Denel as it aims for profitability. The plans include the creation of a merged unmanned aerial vehicle company as well as changes at its missile business unit and munitions and armored vehicles business. The company is also keen to see partners increase their stake in existing strategic ventures.

This article states that France is finally moving ahead to renovate aging army Cougar and Puma helicopters in an effort to maintain a credible transport capability until new-generation NH90s are fielded in the first half of the next decade. Specifications for an upgrade to 27 army and three air force Cougars were recently frozen, and a contract will be issued by end 2007, according to Monique Legrand-Larroche, who heads helicopter activities at the French armaments agency (DGA).

This article states that France is introducing a system to promote and control arms exports that it hopes will put a spark into sales particularly at a time when the weak dollar is hurting the euro-based industry's price competitiveness with U.S. rivals. France placed fourth among major arms exporters, with €5.7 billion worth of orders and €4 billion in deliveries in 2006. Correcting this shortcoming is considered particularly important by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The article discusses the plan of the European Union (EU) to liberalize the defense market in the region. The European Commission (EC) is moving to streamline other aspects of inter-European defense trade, including easing the licensing process. On the other hand, the defense and security area has been excluded under Article 296 of the EU Treaty.

The article discusses the present and future performance of the U.S. defense industries. In 2006, the U.S. has booked $21 billion worth of military supplies and equipment from foreign sales, according to Air Force Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kohler, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Plans of the U.S. to expand the exportation of military supplies and equipment are discussed.

The article reports that Eurocopter expects to reach €4 billion in revenue as early as 2007, although not later than 2008. The sales forecast was made by CEO Fabrice Bregier. Sales in 2006 should reach around €3.8 billion, or growth of 15 percent. Deliveries in 2006 will reach around 390 helicopters, and orders are expected to be about 600, half of them Ecureuils.

The article reports on the cancellation of the deal between Spain and Venezuela in which 12 EADS CASA C-295 twin-engine medium-lift aircraft and CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft would have been sold to Venezuela. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos says the deal was opposed by the U.S. government. The U.S. considers Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a destabilizing force in the region.

The article reports that a rule adopted in the 1970s intended to protect the U.S. defense-industrial base in specialty metals is now being applied to parts provided by lower-tier companies far down the supply chain As businesses become increasingly global, documenting the origins of metals in parts such as wires and bolts is becoming extremely difficult. Moreover, the Pentagon is pushing for the use of more commercial components to keep costs down. What is even more absurd is that when the government itself provides a component to a company to incorporate into a larger system, the contractor then must prove that it contains no foreign content, even if the government can't.

The article reports that the British, French and German governments are scrutinizing their defense industrial strategies, reflecting concern that too many crown jewels are being squandered. The work is being done with a sense of urgency, because the government wants to stay ahead of contractors, who are already planning further realignments. The review will not have been fully completed by the end of 2005, but detailed study results to be available by then on critical areas, such as fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aircraft, helicopters, guided weapons and other munitions, armored fighting vehicles, shipbuilding and ship support.

This article presents information on the developments in the aerospace industry in the U.S. A rise in the government spending on defense and anti-terrorism efforts pumped up U.S. aerospace sales by an estimated $12 billion in 2004, and the civil aircraft market is poised on a recovery that should drive similar growth in 2005, according to the Aerospace Industries Association of America Inc. The growth is being driven by war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have boosted demand for replacement parts, record Pentagon spending on research and development and increased spending on aircraft procurement.

This article presents business forecast related to the aerospace industries. Investors who bet on defense and aerospace stocks are looking pretty prescient these days. The Aviation Week Aerospace 25 index is up 29.6% from a year ago, outperforming the S&P 500, which rose just 6.4% over the same period. And with an estimated $17 billion in defense contracts having been awarded since July, Wall Street is expecting generally positive news when companies start rolling out their third-quarter financial results this week. Indeed, financial analysts who closely track the industry say the future is murky and are diverging on their forecasts. Credit Suisse First Boston analyst James H. Higgins warns that a procurement train wreck is bearing down on the U.S. Defense Department.

Awards from France, Great Britain, the U.S. and Europe's A400M airlifter program again seem to prove the wisdom of Thales' multidomestic defense market strategy. Thales was awarded a trio of systems contracts for the Airbus A400M, expected to provide Europe with an advanced tactical airlift capability by the end of the decade. French defense armaments agency DGA issued the defense electronics giant an 85-million-euro-million contract to build an experimental active array antenna for the Rafale fighter's RBE2 radar.

Private financing of defense contracts is proving a considerable headache for EADS, which has seen negotiations over one multibillion-dollar German contract suspended, and the fate of another, this time in Great Britain, hanging in the balance. The German government last week suspended negotiations with EADS on the multibillion-dollar Herkules defense communications program. The suspension follows a big squabble over Great Britain's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft program — based on the Airbus A330-200 — for which the British Defense Ministry is also threatening to end negotiations. Discussing the collapse of the German negotiations, EADS officials said the two sides were unable to come to financial terms, primarily because of" legal restrictions" in German procurement law.

Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the U.S., left his mark on just about everything in the society of his generation, so it is by no means extraordinary that his influence on aerospace and aviation was profound as well. Nothing in aerospace before or since has had the impact of the Reagan defense buildup of the first half of the 1980s and its direct consequence — the defense industry consolidation of the 1990s. The buildup buried the Soviet Union, not in the military confrontation that might have been, but in economic collapse resulting from the Soviets' attempt to keep up.

This article presents developments related to the aviation industry. Fit trials of the MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile have been carried out on the Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter, in a process eventually leading to an initial firing during 2005. Meteor is a six-nation European program, led by Great Britain, to develop a successor to such missiles as the Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. The Aerospace and Defense Industries Association of Europe will be jointly established in Brussels by the European Association of Aerospace Industries, the European Defense Industries Group and Eurospace/Association.

Eurofighter partner nations are struggling to trade off weapon and system integration, cost and schedules as they try to agree on the most important phase of the program so far. With Elements of Tranche 2 negotiations, covering 236 aircraft, certain to drag on into the second half of 2004, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain are not now expected to ink a contract until the end of the year. The initially determined EOC 1, planned for introduction in 2008, includes integration of the Raytheon Enhanced Paveway II GPS/laser-guided bomb, along with a designation pod.

Reports the utilization of propulsion and rocket engine by Aerojet aircrafts in the United States. Merger between Aerojet and propulsion unit Pratt & Whitney; Marketing status of the Cobra engine; Revenue from propulsion systems for military supplies.

Reports on Phazotron-NIIR's pursuit of both civil and military radar and avionics markets. Projects planned by the company; Contracts of the company from various countries for their military aircraft; Phazotron's radar technologies.

Presents comments from Loral Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard L. Schwartz at a shareholders meeting regarding expansion in military and commercial markets and the acquisition of key strategic assets. Increased earnings through the first quarter; Consolidating ownership of Loral Aerospace Corp.; Proposed acquisition of LTV's missile division; Marketing of a derivative medical diagnostic imaging system; Financial strength.